ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, Md. — "Firefighters for safe staffing" is what is posted outside of the firefighters' union.
Anne Arundel budget adds fire positions, union wants more
It is an outward cry for the continued push in increasing the firefighters' staffing throughout the county.
The Anne Arundel County Council is going through parts of the 2027 proposed budget this week to understand potential changes and ask questions.
The proposal includes a record-breaking increase to direct funding for schools.
It also adds nine new positions to the police department and 21 new positions for the fire department.
The new positions will fully staff a new fire truck in the Annapolis Neck and South County area.
The addition of these new positions, along with the two new fire stations in the county, indicates that the fire department is growing; however, it still lags behind in meeting its needs.
Casey Cameron, the third vice president of the firefighters union, says while it's beneficial to have these new positions in the budget, it doesn’t come close to the amount the county needs to be fully operational.
With a new county executive coming in the next year, he is hoping the county keeps the momentum of adding more positions each year.
The county is holding another meeting Tuesday at 9am, which will directly address public safety in the budget. The county is also holding more budget meetings until June.
The county council will vote on the proposed budget on June 11th.
If those 21 new positions are approved, the county will see those throughout fire departments in 2028.
